Mystery of the Bolt
by Miztermusik
Summary: Alex Wisdom has moved yet again to another city and another school, but what happens when he fights a hulking bully, meets a quiet beautiful girl named Adrianna, and kills a beast that kills his brother and ultimately sends him on a new journey? Chap 2 up
1. I'm In Love and I'm Going To Die

Faster! That's all I keep telling myself. Faster!

Running from gangs and bullies is a common thing for me. I'm always an easy target for every new school and city I move to. For a while, I blamed it on being a new kid, but then I realized since I was a tall, muscular boy, the bullies and gangs felt intimidated by me, and would take great pride by beating me up. I always get beaten up, and it was most likely going to happen again. More like in a few seconds.

I took a left down a long, dark alley. Large, messy rats rested at the edge of a dumpster, watching me run past them, and then watched my pursuers run past as well. There were four boys. All of them were wearing baggy pants and t-shirts a size bigger than what they really were. A common thing for rebellious youth to do. They were all seniors, and I was a junior. One sixteen year old against four 17 and 18 year old seniors was not going to turn out well. Not for me at least.

I got to the end of the alley and a fence about 10 feet high blocked my exit. Using my momentum, I jumped and placed one foot on the fence and pulled myself up, flinging my legs back and performing an excellent front-flip handstand over the fence. I landed and turned to see the bullies right there, already trying to climb the fence. One of them stood in shock at my acrobatic skill. It was rather easy to do. I was a natural at it.

I kept running, hoping the fence would slow them down enough for me to escape. I was mistaken. In a moment where I turned to see if they were after me, I slammed right into a streetlight pole, and fell down to the ground quickly. My forehead was throbbing, and I was seeing triple of everything. What terrified me most is when I saw twelve seniors standing over me.

After my dazed moment was over, I found myself being carried down an alley. Each boy had a limb, and I knew I was a goner.

"You're fast, but not fast enough. Your stupid acrobatics won't save you here. Not in my school!"

I had heard about this kid. He'd been to jail several times. His name was Bruce. He was a good-looking kid, and he was a monster. I'm talking like seven feet tall and muscles that I could only dream of, and he was about to rip my insides out.

"So, your name is Alex now, is it? Alex Wisdom? What a dumb name! Almost sounds conceited, or boastful. It sounds like you think you are a know-it-all or something. Well, you are not a know-it-all. You are stupid, and will forever be stupid. You have a nice face too. Too bad I have to rearrange it."

He was right. I did have a nice face. Not a boyish face that all the girls go gaga over, but the face of a man. My build was more like a twenty year old man instead of a sixteen year old boy. It's also true that every girl that has ever met me makes a comment about my good looks. I never met my dad, but my mother and brother said I look a lot like him.

My mother and brother! Oh they will be upset when I come home all beaten up. My mom is scared to death about me. She always worries about where I am and what I do. I know it's because she loves me. We've had a rough life together. It's always just been me, my brother and my mother.

My brother cares a lot about me, as I do for him. He's twenty-two. Mom lets him stay with us, and he earns his keep and helps my mom with finances and stuff. He's gone a lot though, and he never tells me where he goes. There never used to be so many secrets between us. But I'm getting too distracted, seeing as how I am about to get my face smashed in.

Two of the bullies pulled me up and pinned me against the wall. Of course I struggled. Better than just standing there.

"Now, it's time to teach you who the boss of New York is."

"Bit of a stretch, wouldn't you say? Boss of New York? I can barely understand why you are "the boss" of the school, but there are thousands of people in this city that could kick the crap out of you. Even I could!"

I had a knack for running my mouth, and it got me in a lot of trouble when it came to fights. I just challenged Bruce in front of all his buddies, but he had the power right now.

"Easy to say while you are pinned against a wall."

"By your tools!"

The two boys eased on my arms a little bit, and looked at Bruce.

"They do what I say because I earned my position as the toughest guy around."

"Oh, so "the toughest guy around" needs help from his lesser buddies now, is that it?"

"I don't have to listen to this!"

That's when I felt it. A fist slammed into my gut. I retched, and then let me go. I fell to the ground and writhed for a moment, before Bruce started slamming his boot into my gut. If I hadn't been in agonizing pain, I would have fought back. Now I was going to be labeled a big wimp.

After they got done kicking me, they took all of my money. Pretty sad that seniors were still taking money, much less still bullying. I got up a few minutes after they left, and walked back to the school. What a sucky way to start my first day of school, and I have not even been there yet! I was going to be late, so I was already going to be on my teacher's bad side. The principle too!

I walked up the stairs and pushed open the double doors leading into a huge hallway. It was empty, which meant that I was late. I looked at the small piece of paper that was crumpled in my pocket. First class. History. Well, at least my face wasn't bloody or anything. I guess Bruce forgot to do what he said he would. I walked into the classroom and the teacher stopped in the middle of his "back to school" lecture and stared at me.

"Nice of you to show up, Mr. Wisdom. Better late than never! Although, I would advise you to show up on time from now on. I am Mr. Forester. Class, this is Alex Wisdom. He just moved here from Tennessee."

The classroom just stared at me. A few girls snickered and the rest just ignored me.

"Please take a seat, Mr. Wisdom."

I sat down at a desk in the very back. As I approached my desk, my heart almost jumped out of my chest when I saw the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. Literally THE most beautiful girl ever. Her hair was long, black and wavy. She had emerald eyes and soft, gentle looking lips and a small freckle just below them. Her nose was small, but so amazing to look at! And her face! Her face was perfect! She was wearing a simple pair of jeans and a modest black t-shirt with a red flame in the middle. Her eyes met mine and I almost fainted.

I sat down and started sweating. I was sitting next to the hottest girl in existence. I was already distracted! I looked at the person to my right. A boy, about my age, was looking right at me. He leaned over the desk and whispered, "Hi, my name is Tim. Welcome to New York!" I shook his hand and he smiled and went back to listening to Mr. Forester.

The whole entire class I was thinking about the girl next to me. I literally spent the class thinking of what her name might be. Trisha? Elizabeth? Something that went with her looks I'm sure. The next two classes I had with Tim and the girl, and I spent those two classes thinking about the girl too.

The bell rang for lunch time and Tim showed me to the cafeteria. Pizza. Typical! Every school I went to always served pizza on the first day. Tim and I sat at a table and he started eating. I had no money, thanks to "the toughest guy around".

"So, how are you liking it so far?"

"Liking what?"

"School?"

"It's alright, I guess. Who's that girl with the black shirt and red flame on it?"

"Why do you ask?"

"She hasn't spoken to anyone, and she looks like she doesn't want to be here."

To be honest, I suck at lying, but Tim believed me. It had nothing to do with the fact that I was obviously in love with this girl.

"Her name is Adrianna Hill. That's all I know. She's a new student here just like you."

"How come she wasn't introduced at class?"

"She was, but you weren't there."

"I'm going to go talk to her." I got up and went to her table. She was sitting by herself, looking down at her tray. She was lost in thought. The way she twirled her hair with her finger was breath-taking.

"Hi."

Her eyes met mine. She wasn't scowling at me. She just smiled, said hi, and went back to her thinking. I sat down in a chair across from her.

"Is it okay if I sit here?"

She didn't say anything. I took that as a yes and started eating my pizza.

"I hear you are a new student too."

She nodded and said, "Yep."

"What's your name?"

"Adrianna."

"I'm Alex."

"I know."

I was already intimidated by her.

"How has school been so far for you?"

"It doesn't matter. I have dyslexia and I get distracted to easily to even realize that I am in school."

"You're dyslexic? Me too! ADHD runs in my family also. At least, that's what I am told."

"Hmmm."

She sounded bored. Was I annoying? I didn't want to be. Before I started talking again, Bruce, my new enemy, approached the table and leaned rather close to Adrianna.

"Hey girl. I heard you are new, and I thought since I was such a nice guy, I'd be the first guy here to welcome you and offer to help you out and show you around."

"You've already been beaten to the welcoming part," she said bitterly.

Bruce turned to me and scoffed.

"This punk ain't nothing! I just kicked his sorry butt before school. You don't need to hang around that loser."

"He seems more friendly than you."

Either she was too nice, or she was trying to provoke Bruce into killing me. I was hoping it was the first.

"Come sit with us."

"No," she said.

"Look, no one says no to Bruce. Have you not heard of me?"

"No."

He grabbed her by the arm and tried to pull her out of her chair.

"Let me go!"

I got up and pulled him away from her and he fell to the ground.

"Don't touch her again!" I screamed.

His face became dark, and I mean in a murderous way.

"Didn't you learn your lesson in the alley?"

"Apparently not," I said.

He slowly rose in front of me. He was at least a foot taller. We stood in silence. Everyone was staring now. I hate bullies. I blinked for a moment and then something weird happened. My hands felt like I had just rubbed two baloons together to create static electricity. It has only happened a few times, and I was in a fight each time.

Bruce punched me so hard I went flying backwards and crashed through a table. I've been punched before, but never with that much strength. Before I was even up, Bruce already had a chair to use as a weapon. I was going to die. I had really made this kid angry, but I was pretty angry myself. Probably angrier, but I could be wrong.

I grabbed a lunch tray, and as lame as it sounds, it actually did stop his chair from knocking me out. Right now I was wishing a teacher or principle would walk in or something, but for the time being I had to fight him.

He threw the chair at me and I swiped it away with my lunch tray. Bruce ripped the tray from my hands and grabbed me by the neck. His strength was incredible! Even though I couldn't breathe, I had to give the kid props. But now I was afraid for my life. I brought my leg back and slammed it into his stomach. He dropped me and stooped for a second before his face turned purple. I was officially a dead man.

He screamed and tackled me through another table, and I started swinging my fist hard on the back of his head. To my surprise, he was getting hurt. You think someone as strong and powerful as this guy was, you'd think he was an invincible god or something. But there are no such thing as gods. Everyone is vulnerable.

He picked my clean off of the ground and literally pitched me across the room. I went through another table. I was bleeding now. I hate blood. I was a bit confused, but like the idiot that I am, I just kept getting up. My face met his fist as soon as I was up, and I went back down. I was off the ground again. Apparently Bruce liked throwing people.

I crashed through another table. That was the last time I would be thrown. Bruce grabbed me by the collar, and I grabbed his arms and pushed them off, then with all the strength I could gather, I sent my fist, and my anger, right into Bruce's chest. He flew backwards farther than he had thrown me, and he went through two tables before falling over a third. I was officially freaked out now. My arm was glowing.

Only Adrianna and Bruce seemed to notice the glowing part. The glow died down and everyone started cheering for me. I wasn't feeling very excited, because I knew Bruce was going to murder me now. I'm dead serious. I was scared I was going to get stabbed tonight.

I ran as quickly as I could out of the cafeteria. Where had that strength come from? I knew I was strong, but this was...otherworldly! I honestly felt like I was Peter Parker discovering that he was a human spider. I'm not sure what I discovered. Maybe I was just really strong. There are other people who can do that stuff. But still, why was my arm glowing? Did he punch me so hard my eyes were playing tricks on me?

I decided I should go home. I started cutting through alleys as quickly as possible and I was almost home, until this homeless guy stopped me.

"What are you running for?"

His voice was husky and deep. He looked kind of sad to me.

"Just on my way home."

He started laughing. What a nut! But then I realized that a snake the size of my room was right behind him.

"DUDE! THERE'S A FRICKIN PYTHON!" I screamed.

He kept laughing and soon I was staring at a lion. Do you know that feeling you get when you see a spider right in your face or hear the sound of something dying that is precious to you? Imagine that time infinite. I was face to face with a lion with a snake for a tail. The lion growled and I backed away slowly.

"It's time for you to die, Alexander."

The lion jumped and I ducked and rolled under it, and then I ran for dear life home. The lion thing was chasing me and I went faster and faster. I was going to die. I was about to be eaten by a lion that was disguised as a homeless man. Only in New York!

I was nearly home, screaming bloody murder and my brother walked out of the apartment, running toward me.

"Alex! Alex calm down! What's wrong."

Thank the Lord he saw it. His eyes got wide. Very wide.

"How did he get past me?"

"What?" I said.

"Alex, go inside."

"What! No, Julian! You're coming with me!"

"Shut up and act your age! Do as I say!"

I said nothing to this and ran for the house. I felt like a coward, but then I went and grabbed an old sword Julian kept in his closet. He told me never to touch it, but I didn't care. I ran back outside to see my brother with the lion in a headlock.

"Give me the sword!"

I ran up to him. The lion broke free and bit my brothers arm.

"ARGH!" He screamed and slammed his fist onto the lion's head. "SWORD!"

I threw the sword, and Julian caught it. He raised it, ready to strike. The lion swiped at his arm. The sword flew, and then the lion jumped on my brother, and before my very eyes, clawed at his torso, ripping chunks of skin from him. He screamed and his breathing became gargled. He was choking on blood! I ran for the sword and picked it up. I turned with the sword held high, and then the lion jumped for me. I held out the sword, and it went right through the lion's head. The lion fell on me, and then it slowly disintegrated.

I got up and ran to my brother.

"Julian!"

He looked at me, his eyes barely closed. He was dying.

"Al...Alex...You're...You're not..."

He stopped talking.

"I'm not what!?"

"I love you, Alex."

His eyes closed and he stopped breathing. My mother ran outside and we both cried together. We cried until we had the funeral, and then we cried some more.

I loved my brother, and in an unexplainable moment, he was killed by a beast. I thought that was as much as my mind could take at this point, but then I learned something else, and it was something much bigger than I ever thought was possible.


	2. Depression Upon Depression is Depressing

**Chapter 2!! Sorry about the first chapter and the vague ending! I forgot to do the disclaimer. I don't own anything Percy Jackson, but the characters Alex, Adrianna, and Bruce are mine. I apologize in advance if I mess up on some of the canon of the Percy Jackson series.**

The three days we spent preparing and having the funeral were the most depressing days of my life. When I told my story to the authorities, they looked at me with doubt. They did in fact conclude that something with claws had killed him, but since the lion vanished before my eyes, there was no proof. My mother had barely said two words since he died.

I got off school for the rest of the week, but in my state of mind, I didn't want to go back there. Ever. After the weekend, I was so sick of staying in the house where my beloved brother lived in I couldn't bear the quiet anymore. I needed some newness.

I decided I was well enough to go to school on Monday. My mother tried to convince me to stay home, because she didn't feel right about me going right now. I still hadn't told her about Bruce or Adrianna. I don't think I cared at the moment anyways. In the mood I was in, I could rip Bruce Jennings head off without a second thought. He better pray that he doesn't tick me off today.

I grabbed my pack and headed out the back door and began my day cutting through the back alleys of New York. I was glad school was close enough to walk to, because I hate cars. I hate any kind of motor vehicle period. I only like planes. Sounds funny but it's true.

I managed to make it to school without encountering any of Bruce's lackeys or gangsters. The hallways were full today, which was a good thing. Meant I wasn't late. I went to my locker, shoved my crap into it, and went to History class. I sat in the back row next to Tim, but Adrianna wasn't here today. This dampened my spirits even more.

"Hey, Alex." It was Tim. He wasn't smiling today. "I'm sorry about your brother. It must be tough."

All I could muster was a, "Yeah..."

Class started and Mr. Forester began his lecture while I daydreamed like I usually do. After the next class Adrianna showed up with a tardy slip. She sat in her seat and I watched her until the bell rang for lunch. Everyone shuffled to the cafeteria. I saw Bruce, but I was shocked by the sight of him. He was wearing cargo shorts, a white t-shirt, and sandals. His hair was cut and neatly styled. He was alone, and he looked depressed, just like Adrianna. Just like me.

I got my taco and went to a table by myself. Bruce and Adrianna were also sitting at separate tables. I made eye contact with Bruce and he just sighed and looked back down at his tray. What in the world was up with him? And where were his buddies? Why was Adrianna sulking too? I didn't need this much depression! When I couldn't take it anymore, I threw my taco away and stormed out of the cafeteria. I went outside and sat on the steps to cool off.

"Hey."

I jumped. It was Bruce. I got onto my feet and just stared at him. He may have looked like a depressed prep now, but he was still dangerous.

"Dude, I'm not going to do anything to you."

For some odd reason I believed him.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I'm sorry about your brother."

I wanted to shoot myself at this point. I couldn't take this much sympathy.

"I heard what happened to him. I heard about the lion and the snake tail thing."

Great! Now I was going to be mocked and laughed at for the rest of my life.

"I believe you."

Okay, me and this guy went from hating each other and now he believes my insane story. It was a bit shocking, but at the same time I found it comforting that I wasn't a total dweeb.

"Can we put the past behind us and just start over?"

Bruce extended his hand. This was totally weird. What was up with this guy? I stared at his hand and then looked into his eyes. He was serious. I took the hand and we shook like men.

"See ya around, wise guy."

He smiled and went back inside. That was the weirdest experience in my life. I decided to go home. I ran the whole way, cutting through alleys as usual, and then when I got home, I went to my room, slammed the door, then I sat on my bed and cried like a baby.

My mom came in and she didn't say anything. She just sat next to me and held me. We cried together for a while before I had to ask the question that had been on my mind since he died.

"Mom, what happened?"

"Alex, there's something your brother and I have been keeping from you."

My heart stopped for a second. This was going to be big. We never used to keep secrets between us, and now there was one that had been in front of my face the whole time.

"What?"

She looked down and sighed. "Alex, your father wasn't human."

Now I was angry. This wasn't a time for jokes.

"Huh?"

"You are the son of a god, Alex."

That's it.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU! MY BROTHER JUST GOT EATEN BY A FRICKIN LION SNAKE THING AND NOW YOU SAY I'M THE SON OF A GOD!"

I stormed out the door and ran away from the house. The sky was darkening and it was fixing to storm, but I didn't care. I just wanted to get away from everything. In that moment, I hated my mother. How could she do this to me? How could she make up something like that after my brother died?

I ran down an alley and collapsed next to a dumpster and I screamed and cried at the same time. I raised my fists into the air and screamed bloody murder, and then something weird happened. A streak of lightning struck the ground, two feet in front of me. My eyes were wide, and my heart was racing. I calmed down and the sky seemed to get brighter again. Had I done that?

"Alex."

I jumped again. I looked and saw Adrianna standing there. She looked sad.

I was about to speak, when I heard another voice on my other side.

"Why are you two here?"

It was Bruce. I was freaking out now. First, Adrianna and Bruce happen to be here with me in the same alley out of a hundred billion alleys in New York City, and to top it off they were people who seemed very unique to me. Why was it that three teenagers who were sad and depressed at the same time in the same place at the same time, and for what reason. Coincidence? This was too perfect and strange to be coincidence.

"What are we here? Why are you here?" I asked.

"Why are you here?" Adrianna asked me.

"Well, why are you here?" Bruce asked Adrianna.

"I thought I saw something. A bolt of lightning, and clearly, I was correct," Adrianna replied.

"Well, that's why I am here, too," said Bruce.

"What about you? You were here before us! What happened?" Adrianna asked.

I was at a loss for words. I don't know what happened, but apparently only we saw it.

"I was just sitting here screaming at the world, and then lighting struck. Scared me to death!"

Bruce looked at me, then at Adrianna.

"No way!" Bruce shouted.

Thunder roared from a distance. The sky started to get dark again. It was kind of scary now. Rain started falling and the homeless man I saw three days ago, the one who turned into a lion, stood in the entrance of the alley way. Only this time there was an ugly flying bat beast with him, and, believe it or not, a minotaur. I was officially scared out of my mind now. Bruce and Adrianna backed away, and I went with them.

"Well! This is exciting! Three little heroes for lunch! You may have defeated me last time, Alexander, but this time you cannot escape me. Although, I didn't anticipate more of you, but that only means more lunch for me!"

The lion reappeared and roared. The bat flew behind us and shrieked, and the bull was getting ready to charge. Bruce faced the bull and lion, and I faced the bat thing, and Adrianna stayed between us. Now I finally recognized the bat thing. A Fury. These things were annoying little monsters that worked for Hades or something like that. But that's just a myth!

Well, was a myth. I was officially a believer now, but was my mother being serious when she said I was the son of a god? Well, it would explain why they want to kill me, but what god? Bruce and Adrianna were children of the gods too, but which god?

We were going to die. There was no hope. Even if I was the son of the most powerful god ever, we would still have no hope. Bruce was muttering something, and Adrianna just stared at the beasts surrounding us. The bull, lion, and bat were about to charge when something incredible happened.

A light came from behind the Fury, and in an instant, the Fury vanished before our eyes in a flash of light. A mighty Centaur wielding a bronze sword the size of me was charging through the alley, heading toward the bull and lion. Tim, the guy in my class, was behind him, and he was holding a little bronze dagger. Only Tim didn't have clothes on, and Tim didn't have legs. He was a goat. A Satyr!

I wanted to grab a sword myself, scream "FOR NARNIA!", and slay the Minotaur, although the Centaur seemed to be doing a good job on his own. I remembered my brothers sword, and I wish I had it now.

"Timothy! Lead them away from here! I have these monsters under control! Go!" The Centaur went back to fighting the monsters while Timothy led us away from the alley.

"Come on! We got to get to Half-Blood Hill!"

"Where?!" I screamed.

"Just come with me!"

He led us to a gray Taxi, and three old women were in the front. Everything seemed fine until I noticed they had no eyes.

"Camp Half-Blood!" Timothy was tensed.

"Okay!"

It was the longest, most terrifying car ride I have ever had in my life. The whole time the three hags were fighting over the one eye they shared, and they were screaming at pedestrians fleeing to the sidewalks. They hit mailboxes, kiosks, trash cans, pretty much everything all the way to our destination. It was hectic getting out of New York alone.

Finally, they slid to a curb, and the door magically opened and the four of us were thrown from our seats.

"Have a nice life! This is as far as we go!"

The door shut and they drove away, and the car faded away.

"Cool," I managed to say.

"We have to go! Now!" screamed Timothy.

"What's the rush?" Bruce asked.

He pointed behind us and jumped. "The Manticore!" I turned and saw the lion coming for us. The four of us took off running toward the hill. Half-Blood Hill is what Timothy called it. There was a single tree at the top.

"Faster!" screamed Timothy.

"We'll never make it!" Adrianna started crying.

We were getting closer. Only a hundred yards away now! The Manticore was right behind us. In a moment, it would reach Bruce, and it would rip him apart. The Manticore looked bigger than ever! Fifty yards away!

We were about there, and then the Manticore pounced toward Bruce, and in that time, Timothy jumped in the path of the lion, and the lion grabbed Timothy with it's mouth. Timothy struggled and screamed.

"RUN! GO! DON'T STAY HERE! GET TO THE HILL! N-NOW!"

We ran. We reached the hill. We watched as the Satyr who saved our lives was killed and eaten by the monster. I felt like a coward for leaving him behind, and I could see the same feeling in Bruce and Adrianna's eyes. Bruce began to cry, and Adrianna and I joined him.

"This was his first assignment. I knew he would fail. Still, sad way to go out."

We turned to the mysterious voice. It was a man, who looked like a drunkard. He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt and purple shoes and he was a bit chubby. He had curly red hair.

"I am Dionysus, director of Camp Half-Blood. Call me Mr. D. Before I take you to meet Chiron, let me just say that I hate heroes, and I hate children, so therefore, I hate you. Now, since you three have arrived, it's time for you to begin your journey."

"Excuse me, Mr. D. Timothy just gave his life for us, from an assignment which YOU obviously assigned. He's dead because of you! Show some respect," I said.

"You got a big mouth kid. Talk back again and I will turn you into a monkey! Now follow me!"

We reluctantly followed Mr. D to a big blue house in the center of many smaller cabins. We walked up the porch and the Centaur that we saw in the alley was standing there. He had very shaggy white hair and a big white beard. He looked at each of us, and then said something that I knew would start a very long, and very informative conversation.

"Hello. My name is Chiron. We have much to discuss."


	3. A Brief Introduction of My New Life

**Sorry about the shortness! I don't want to keep you waiting! Anyways, the next chapter will be pretty long and hopefully more informative for you! Enjoy!**

Adrianna, Bruce and I sat down and looked at Chiron, the mighty Centaur we just officially met. This guy gave me a sense of peace I have not felt since my brother died a week ago. He made me feel safe and comfortable. He looked at each of us, taking some time to "size us up" I guess.

"As you all are aware, you have recently found out that you are sons and daughters of the gods."

"Duh," all three of us said in unison. It was still hard to fathom, but it would explain why I glowed, and Bruce's incredible size and strength, but as far as Adrianna, I had no clue what she was. Heck, I had no clue what I was.

"So, this children of the god stuff. Are we actually talking about the Olympian gods? Like, Zeus and Hercules and stuff like that?" I asked. Thunder roared in the distance.

"Be careful about what names you say here. Names have power, and things will happen. To answer your question, yes. Although, there is much you do not know, but these things will be revealed shortly. For instance, all three of you are obviously dyslexic. This is because you are hard-wired for Greek language, not English, and you all probably have an "illness" termed ADHD, but that's just because you are heroes, and it greatly helps with your battle and reflex instinct. Every demi-god has it."

"Demi-god?" I asked.

"Yes. A demi-god is a hero who has a mortal parent and god parent or a demi-god parent and mortal or god parent. It seems complicated at first, but it makes sense after a while."

"Okay, so then why do those beasts want to kill us?" Bruce asked.

"Because, monsters hate heroes and will do whatever it takes to kill them. This is a lot to take in. You don't have to ask so many important questions right off the bat."

"Yes, we do," Adrianna said.

"Okay then. Normally, heroes do not find out they are heroes until their twelfth or thirteenth year. You three are very unique that you made it to sixteen without realizing this, but this is because you three have either been too feared, or protected. Such as you Bruce. If you are who I think you are, you are the most powerful son of this specific god I have ever seen, and your size is incredible! Monsters are intimidated and do not attack unless they are sure they can win. And you, Alex. Your brother Julian was a son of Ares. He had been protecting you for all of your years, and he was one of my favorite campers. He will be missed, but his death is the beginning of your journey. It's the beginning of your new life as a hero."

"What if we don't want this life?" Bruce asked.

"Then you can simply leave. Although, it is very dangerous for you now to ever live in the real world again. Now that you know who you are, your scent has increased ten fold, and several more monsters will find you. Without proper training, you wouldn't be able to survive for a week. It is imperative that you stay here. This is the only way to live now. Do you want to stay?"

We nodded in agreement. It was a lot to take in, and it seemed very straightforward and rushed. My brother was a son of Ares? Does that mean I am a son of Ares too? Or did my mom have me with another god? My brother had wasted his life protecting me, and I felt guilty and ashamed that he was dead because of me.

"Your brother chose to protect you, Alexander. He loved you and your mother dearly. Don't think that he wasted his life for you. To him, you and your mother were his life."

I nodded in agreement.

"Now, I guess it's time I took you to your cabin."

"Cabin?" Adrianna asked.

"Yes, there are twelve cabins in this camp. One for each god, and the children of that god stay in that cabin. Only the cabin of Artemis is empty. She just wanted one. You three, since you have not been claimed by your god, will stay in the Hermes cabin. This is the biggest cabin in the camp, and all the newcomers stay in the Hermes cabin."

We walked around the campus. It was beautiful! It looked like a place you could never get tired of! Cabins were everywhere, and the cabins of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. They were empty.

"Chiron, how come those three cabins are empty?"

"Those are the cabins of the Big Three. Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. A long time ago the brothers swore an oath that they wouldn't have anymore children because their children were more powerful than all the others. They could overthrow the gods if they decided to."

"Have they broken that oath?" Bruce asked.

"As far as we know, only Zeus has. He had a daughter. Her name was Thalia. A Satyr by the name of Grover, who is on assignment right now, and Luke came with her, and she gave her life on that very hill for them. That tree is where her spirit rests, and it is because of that tree that this camp is protected from monsters. This is a safe haven for all heroes."

We walked a bit more until we came to the Hermes cabin. It looked very old and worn. He opened the door and there were tons of kids. Suddenly I didn't feel so special anymore, because I was only one out of hundreds of demi-gods. A boy, about 19, with blond hair walked up to us.

"Hello, I'm Luke. Welcome to the Hermes cabin! Just pick a place on the floor anywhere and make yourselves at home!"

All of the kids were staring at us. Most were years younger than we were. Only a few were as old as us or maybe older. Bruce and I frightened them. We were big guys. We couldn't help that. Adrianna looked out of place.

"We are having dinner in 20 minutes. Feel free to do whatever you like until then."

Chiron walked away and we three just stood there.

"Let's get out of here," I said.

Adrianna came with me, but Bruce decided to stay behind and talk with some of the other people.

"This is depressing." I looked at Adrianna. She looked extremely depressed.

"So, when did you find out? That you were a god, I mean?"

"A couple of days ago. Timothy approached me. I always knew it somehow, but when he showed me he was a satyr I believed. I stuck close with Bruce so I would stay safe. Bruce found out the same way. Timothy wasn't sure about you yet. Not until you punched Bruce so hard he flew fifteen feet across the cafeteria. Bruce was mocked and ridiculed after that, and he disappeared for a couple days and then he came back, all fixed up and stuff."

"I wonder what changed him," I said.

"You tore down his pride, and I think he finally realized he was a moron, and then he founds out he is the son of a god, so he's been through a bit, just like us."

She smiled for the first time since last week. Her beauty really shined when she smiled like that, and I fell more in love the more I was around her. I had an urge to hold her hand and tell her everything was going to be okay, but that freak her out, and I really didn't know her that, but boy did I want to know her! Now that I thought about it, with her beauty and her obvious effect on my mind, she could have been a daughter of Aphrodite.

Of course, that assumption was torn down when I saw how all the other children of Aphrodite acted. They were always checking their hair, their faces, and their make-up, and they were always with their boyfriend or girlfriend. Adrianna acted nothing like them, but she was more beautiful than any of them. I would wager she was more beautiful than Aphrodite herself.

Finally we heard the signal for lunch and walked over to the big coliseum place where all the kids gathered to eat. Chiron was in the middle, and he spoke.

"Hello campers! Today is a very special day! We have three new campers! Alex Wisdom, Bruce Jennings, and Adrianna Hill! Please make them feel welcome! One quick announcement! Capture the Flag is this Friday, so prepare!"

We went to the tables designated for the Hermes cabin and sat there. What was really cool is whatever food or drink we wanted, we got it. It was absolutely amazing. We had to sacrifice the best part though to the gods, although I wasn't sure who I was supposed to give mine to.

"Um, here you go, Dad." I dropped it into the fire and went back to the table. Adrianna and Bruce looked just as confused as I was. We sat in silence for the whole meal. After that there was time for some socializing and then we had to go to our cabins.

I was walking by myself when Bruce ran up next to me. He looked happy.

"This place is great! I love it here! So much cool stuff, and there are so many pretty girls!"

This Bruce I liked. The other Bruce one I wanted to kill.

"It's alright. I miss home though, especially my mom."

"At least you a mom to go back to. I was in foster care, man. My real mom dumped me off somewhere, and I never met my dad, but now I know it's because he is a god or something. Gods must be busy. This is the happiest I have ever been though! I feel like I belong someplace! It's wonderful!"

"You know, you were a jerk. What happened to you?"

"You bested me, wise guy. You made me realize that I wasn't the things I thought I was, and then I found that I am the son of a god. That's what happened to me."

"It's just a shock is all."

"I guess so. Hey man, at least we're in the same cabin. Although, I'm not sure why they don't separate the guys and girls. I guess they don't...worry about that stuff here."

"I doubt it happens, Bruce."

"You're right. Except for the Aphrodite cabin maybe..."

We laughed and went into our cabin. Luke did separate the guys and girls. I don't know why he was the leader of the cabin, but the kids respected him. I laid down in my spot and told Adrianna and Bruce goodnight, then I shut my eyes and dreamed about Adrianna. Little did I know, that tomorrow I would find out something incredible about me and Bruce, and that Adrianna would tell me her biggest secret.


End file.
